Hospitals ban smokers but don't enforce

When it comes to smoking, local hospitals having been putting up signs telling everyone to light-up off the property. But are they following through?

It was almost three years ago when Sisters Hospital officials announced the campus was going 100 percent smoke-free.

Back in November of 2008, CEO Peter Bergmann announced, "It's our responsibility to provide a safe and healthy environment for those who work, visit and receive care at our hospital and outpatient facilities."

But fast-forward to today, are they still standing by their mission? We wanted to find out, but we're not singling out Sisters. In fact, you'll find no-smoking signs at all hospitals across western New York, telling smokers to move off the property.

It's a sweeping policy. Employees, patients, and visitors can't smoke on the grounds, in the parking lots, not even in their own cars. With the exception of Roswell Park Cancer Institute and Millard Fillmore Suburban, in a week of undercover surveillance, our News 4 crew found people smoking on each and every hospital campus. At Kenmore Mercy, Sisters, Gates , and Sheehan, smokers boldly puffed away.

Catholic Health Director of Public Relations Joann Cavanaugh said, "People will go to the ends of the Earth, some people, to have a cigarette."

A construction worker at Sisters caught us shooting him while he smoked on hospital grounds. His next smoke a minute later was off property. We had to ask him about it.

The worker said he didn't know about the rule, per se, saying, "I mean, this is my first day being at the, I'm working at the hosital right now."

Most long-term employees do know the rules. Some take walks through neighborhoods for smoke-breaks, but that became problematic at South Buffalo Mercy.

Resident Dave Hutchinson said, "You don't need to come into my neighborhood. There are a lot of people who really have a disdain for it. And they don't like it. And it comes in the windows."

"We put up signage around the neighborhood and in bus shelters letting our associates know they really shouldn't smoke in those areas," said Cavanaugh.

The hospitals' smoking policies were meant to promote health, but for smokers we spoke with they say it just changed their habit.

Buffalo General secretary Kim Reynolds-Parker said, "We've got a nice little group here."

Reynolds-Parker enjoys her smoking time with her gal pals, but says the policy is a drag.

"I had to abide by it in order to keep my job. Yes, so I abide by the rules, but do I like it? No," stated Reynolds-Parker.

It's a unique situation at Children's. People are constantly exposed to second-hand smoke because visitors can puff away on the public sidewalk right in front of the hospital despite the no-smoking signs right behind them.

As for ECMC, the only place that people can smoke is in a designated smoking area right behind the building. But you won't believe what our undercover video found right in front of the main entrance. Smokers were standing along the front wall, in the bus shelters, at the flag pole, on benches, and yes, even in a wheelchair right outside the front door. Smokers were lighting up, all with security not far away.

Tom Quatroche of ECMC Public Affairs said, "This is something constant that we've talked with security about, we've talked with other employees about to please say help us in turning folks in."

Now that we know about the excessive violations of smoking policies, we'll check back to see if there's any improvement in the future.


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